Anti-Brexit organisation Games4EU launches

A new organisation called Games4EU has been established, with the aim of protecting the UK games industry against the damage that Brexit would wreak.

A non-profit organisation, Games4EU describes itself as: “A pro-European Union grassroots movement.” Its stated aims are to: “Support peaceful, meaningful action to remain within the EU; become an activism and discussion platform for pro-EU video games professionals and gamers; demonstrate the harm that Brexit will do to our sector; and contribute to the wider movement to stop, or limit the damage, of Brexit, whether soft, hard or no deal at all.”

Games4EU was set up by three industry figures: Tracey McGarrigan (previously of Bossa Studios), lawyer and business advisor Jas Purewal and Go Editorial founder George Osborn. The organisation’s manifesto declares: “Brexit will have a terrible impact on the UK video games industry. EU membership brings talent, growth, expertise, and investment to the UK that have helped us become the leading creative sector in the world. Remaining in the EU (or as closely tied to it as possible) is the best outcome both economically and culturally for our industry and for our future.”

According to MCV, around 80 per cent of UK games industry professionals voted to remain in the EU in the Brexit referendum – unsurprisingly, given that the UK development sector includes a sizeable percentage of staff from European countries.

Games4EU’s roadmap reveals that it is currently setting up an advisory board, and will announce details of its official campaign in September. If you’re interested in finding out more about Games4EU, check out its website.

Steve Boxer has been writing about videogames since the early 1990s. His first console was an Atari VCS, and he misspent most of his youth in the 1980s in the arcades. As well as for Green Man Gaming, he can be found writing for The Guardian, Empire, TechRadar and Pocket-Lint. He’s currently having trouble deciding whether his favourite console is his Xbox One X or his Switch, and plays a wide range of games, but especially RPGs (he loves a good JRPG) action-adventure titles, shooters of all descriptions and driving games. Follow him here.